Conventionally, there is technology in which rights held by a user in relation to digital content (hereinafter, simply called “content”) are managed by a rights management system on a network, the rights management system issues a license for rights relating to the content to a terminal device of the user via the network and allows the user to use of the content corresponding to the rights. The rights relating to content may include, for example, rights to obtain the content, rights to play the content, rights to print the content, and so on.
In the prior art, there exists technology which permits a user who has received a license from a rights management server on a network and has received the provision of content via the network, using a specific terminal device, to continuing using the content after the user has moved location, by accessing the rights management server via another network at the movement destination, by using another terminal device at the movement destination.
Furthermore, there is also technology which permits a user who has received a license from a rights management server on a network and has received distribution of content from a specific distributor, using a specific terminal device, to continue using the content after the user has moved, by accessing the rights management server from another network at the movement destination, using another terminal device at the movement destination, and receiving distribution of the content from another distributor which is associated with the specific distributor.    [Patent document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-282393    [Patent document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-244769
However, in the prior art technology described above, there have been the following failures.
Firstly, if the same distributor or another, associated, distributor does not distribute substantially the same content in the other network at the movement destination, then the user has not been able to continue using the content.
Secondly, a user has had to search for content which is substantially the same as the content used at the location before moving, using another terminal device and another network at the movement destination, and has had to carry out procedures including licensing for using the content, himself or herself.